SPECIFICITY OF ANTIBODIES REACTIVE WITH HEPATITIS-B SURFACE-ANTIGEN FOLLOWING IMMUNIZATION WITH SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES

The amino acid sequence 139-147 from hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsA g) has previously been shown to represent a B-cell epitope with potent ial as a component of a synthetic peptide vaccine against hepatitis B. In this paper, two regions of HBsAg which act as T-cell epitopes in i nbred mice have been identified (residues 23-34 and residues 160-171). The ability of synthetic peptides representing these epitopes to prov ide help for the production of antibody against the 139-147 epitope ha s been assessed following their co-linear synthesis with the B-cell ep itope and following co-immunization of the peptides in an uncoupled fo rm. Both these strategies result in the induction of anti-peptide anti bodies which specifically react with recombinant HBsAg. The results pr esented give further support to the concept that synthetic peptides re presenting appropriately chosen B- and T-cell epitopes from HBsAg coul d form the basis of a synthetic vaccine against hepatitis B.